Walter Nolen III Gets Injury Update Ahead of Cardinals-Cowboys

The Arizona Cardinals won't see their star DL practice today.

Dec 21, 2025; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Arizona Cardinals defensive lineman Walter Nolen III (97) against the Atlanta Falcons at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

ARIZONA — The Arizona Cardinals will not see Walter Nolen III practice on Wednesday, head coach Mike LaFleur told reporters.

Nolen is dealing with an ankle injury that kept him out of Arizona's Week 7 loss to the Denver Broncos.

"He's doing good. He'll will be DNP today, but he's getting better," LaFleur said of Nolen.

The Cardinals will practice twice more (Thursday and Friday) this week before being required to declare Nolen as out, questionable or doubtful.

Arizona travels to face the Dallas Cowboys in Week 8. The Cardinals are 2-5 while the Cowboys are 3-4.

Walter Nolen III is Impactful — When Healthy

Oct 11, 2026; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Arizona Cardinals defensive lineman Walter Nolen III (97) against the Detroit Lions at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Nolen, a second-year defensive lineman, has shown the ability to wreck offensive gameplans on a weekly basis. The one drawback? He's battled injuries since entering the league.

Nolen suffered a calf injury before training camp of his rookie season, which saw him miss the beginning of 2025 before returning halfway through the year. He played a handful of games and showed massive promise before suffering a knee injury that landed him on injured reserve, ending his year.

Nolen had surgery (later revealed to be a meniscus) but made a full recovery and was healthy for 2026's training camp, though he suffered a minor lower body injury during the team's time at State Farm Stadium.

Last week was the first regular season game Nolen missed for this year.

Nolen holds potential to be one of the best young defensive linemen in the NFL, and Arizona certainly needs it. Their defensive line pressure rate of 24.7% ranks dead-last in the league. In a front seven that's been largely uninspiring, Nolen's presence has been noticeable on a weekly basis.

The Cardinals, typically precautious with injuries, are going to be smart and hold Nolen out of action today. We'll see if that changes throughout the week, though it's clear the former first-round pick will be somebody to watch this week as things progress.

In six games this season, Nolen has 14 tackles, one sack and three quarterback hits.